TREKKING IN SPITI

Spiti lying at the eastern end of Himachal Pradesh is bordered by Tibet and Ladakh. The landscape and the lifestyles of the people of this region are similar and so is their religion which is predominantly Buddhist. Spiti has some of the oldest monasteries in the Western Himalayas Tabo Gompa being over 1000 years old. Spiti offers the trekker a limited number of trekking most of them leading out into Kullu or Leh or Kinnaur.

The first part of the journey is done by surface transport up to the village of Karzok on the northern shores of Tso Moriri. From here a 9 day trekking leads to Kibber village reputed to be the highest permanently inhabited village in the world. From here you drive to Kaza the capital of Spiti and after a few days exploring this stark but beautiful valley we take surface transport to Manali.

The trail climbs up from the Kibber village and traversing the ridges high above the Spiti River finally ends at the Dhankar Monastery. Enroute a lake can also be visited. This a rewarding trek in terms of the spectacular views experienced all along this route.

This trek starts from the Pin valley in Spiti and turns south west towards the Pin Parvati pass from where the trail descends into the Parvati valley in Kullu district. The route to the pass can be a bit strenuous but the descent is pleasant with excellent views. The landscape also changes dramatically from that of hi altitude desert to lush forests and meadows.

This trek also starts from the pin valley. While one trail leads towards the Pin Parvati Pass another path ascends towards the Bhabha pass and emerges into Kinnaur. Here too the landscape changes from that of arid stark mountains to one of meadows and forests of oak and pine. A short but extremely pleasant trek.